Determining moisture content of vapor

ABSTRACT

A process and apparatus for measuring the amount of water in vapor has been developed. The process begins with adjusting the level of water in a vessel housing a capacitance probe so as to immerse from about 5 to about 15 percent of the probe and measuring and recording an initial capacitance, CI. A measured amount of vapor is passed through a condenser, the condensed water is conducted to the vessel and a final capacitance, CF, is measured and recorded. The change in capacitance is calculated, DeltaC=(CF-CI), and the difference, DeltaC, along with a calculation correlation is used to determine the amount of water condensed. With the amount of water condensed and the measured amount of vapor passed through the vessel, the amount of water in the vapor may be readily calculated. The vapor to be analyzed may be at a temperature as high as about 1000° C.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.09/599,773, filed Jun. 22, 2000, all of which is hereby incorporated byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an apparatus and process for determining theamount of condensable water in a vapor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Moisture measurements are critical in a great variety of processes, andthere are many techniques for measuring the moisture content in vapor.Popular techniques include spectroscopy and dew point sensors whichsense a change in electrical capacitance due to condensation on thesurface of a probe; see U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,277, U.S. Pat. No.5,332,901, U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,441, and EP 0409546A2. However, measuringmoisture in a vapor atmosphere becomes much more challenging when thatatmosphere is at extremely high temperatures such as from 250° C. to1000° C. At these extreme temperatures, capacitance probes andspectroscopic probes or flow cells fail. An Environmental ProtectionAgency method resorts to taking a portion of the vapor atmosphere andcondensing any water present in the vapor; see 40 C.F.R. 60, App. A,Meth. 4. The amount of water condensed is either weighed or readvolumetrically. Measurements by condensing and weighing or readingvolumetrically require a significant sample size which may take anextensive period of time to collect. Also, manual weight or volumetricreadings lack precision due to the subjectivity of the manual readings.

The present invention provides a technique and apparatus for makingmoisture measurements of a vapor phase which eliminate the subjectivityof the manual techniques and that may be applied in high temperatureapplications. The unique design of the apparatus allows for accurateprecise moisture measurements on a small sample size and the method ofmaking those measurements provides steps for minimizing error.Furthermore, the small sample size allows for rapid determinations andthe application of capacitance measurements as an analytical tool servesto eliminate subjectivity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the invention is to provide a process and apparatus formeasuring the amount of condensable water in a vapor. The preferredapparatus is a small volume vessel having a cooled condenser arm and acooled collection chamber and is further equipped with a capacitanceprobe having a length extending into the collection chamber of thevessel. The process begins with calibrating the apparatus and thenadjusting the level of water in the collection chamber of a vessel sothat from about 5 to about 15 percent of the length of the capacitanceprobe is immersed in the water and measuring and recording an initialcapacitance, C_(I). A measured amount of vapor is passed through thevessel in an amount sufficient to condense water into the collectionchamber of the vessel. The vessel is purged with dry air for only suchtime as necessary to flush any droplets of water retained in thecondenser arm of the vessel into the collection chamber of the vessel. Afinal capacitance, C_(F), is measured and recorded. The change incapacitance is calculated, ΔC=(C_(F)−C_(I)), and the difference, ΔC, isusedalong with the calibration to determine the amount of watercondensed. With the amount of water condensed and the measured amount ofvapor passed through the vessel, the amount of water in the vapor may bereadily calculated. The collection chamber of the vessel may be drainedand purged to remove all water in preparation of another analysis. Thesteps may be repeated, with the calibration step only repeatedperiodically or as needed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The FIGURE is a schematic representation of the preferred apparatus ofthe present invention. The FIGURE also depicts an embodiment of theprocess of the invention that utilizes the preferred apparatus. As tothe process, the drawing has been simplified by the deletion of a largenumber of pieces of apparatus customarily employed in processes of thisnature that are not specifically required to illustrate the performanceof the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In general terms, the present invention is an accurate and reproducibleprocess for measuring the amount of moisture or water in a vapor streamor atmosphere. It is particularly beneficial in high temperatureapplications such as measuring moisture in furnaces, ovens, or calcinerswhere traditional moisture-sensitive probes and devices fail.Temperatures in these applications can reach up to about 1000° C., wellabove the operating temperatures of most common moisture analysisdevices. Furthermore, the present invention may be equipped to operatein the presence of particulates and/or corrosive compounds (discussedbelow). Particulates such as catalyst fines may be present inapplications such as calcination, and corrosive compounds such as acidsmay be present in applications such as ovens.

The process of the invention involves the general steps of calibratingthe apparatus, obtaining an initial capacitance measurement, sampling ameasured portion of the vapor, condensing and collecting water from thevapor, obtaining a final capacitance measurement, and calculating theamount of water present in the vapor sampled. The process is notdependant on a unique apparatus, and various different apparatus may besuccessfully employed. For ease of understanding, the process will beexplained below utilizing a preferred apparatus, but such explanation isnot intended to limit the broad scope of the invention and it must beemphasized that other apparatus designs may be used.

The process of the invention begins with calibrating the apparatus. Dueto irregularities within the collection vessel, and especially thevolume needed for the drain, the apparatus must first be calibrated.Calibration is conducted by adding known amounts of water and takingcorresponding capacitance readings. A correlation is developed tocorrelate the capacitance reading of the probe with the volume of waterin the collection vessel. A calibration is needed every time the probeor the collection vessel is changed. The next step is obtaining andrecording an initial or zero capacitance measurement which will bediscussed in detail below once the preferred general apparatus isexplained. A portion of the vapor to be analyzed is then routed to anapparatus as depicted in the FIGURE. Note that other apparatus may beemployed in lieu of the preferred design shown in the FIGURE. The vapormay be sampled from one location or sequentially from several locationsusing traditional valving configurations. A measured amount of the vaporis flowed through the inlet 16 of a condenser arm 20. The vapor may beflowed by such means as vacuum suction and the amount of vapor sampledmay be measured using devices such as a rotometer or a wet test meter.The condenser arm is jacketed 18 to provide for coolant to be contactedwith and circulated around the condenser arm. Typically, the coolant ispumped using a circulating cooling bath 44. The coolant that is usedwill depend on the temperature of the vapor entering the condenser arm.For most applications where the condenser arm is to be cooled to atemperature in the range of about 10° C. to about 20° C. suitablecoolants include glycols with the preferred glycol being ethyleneglycol. As the vapor cools, water is condensed. Depending on theapplication, other components may be condensed as well as water, andthose situations will be discussed later. The geometry of the condenserarm should be such that condensed water cannot collect in the condenserarm. The most preferred geometry is a simple cylindrical or tubulargeometry. Some traditional condenser designs may retain condensed waterand introduce error into the measurement. It is further preferred thatthe condenser arm be angled from about 5 to about 30 degrees from thehorizontal so that gravity aids in flowing condensed water out of thecondenser arm and into a collection chamber. Since the vapor is sampledand cooled prior to contact with a moisture sensing device, the processis particularly suited to extremely high temperature applications wheretraditional automated methods fail.

The condensed water and cooled vapor is flowed through the outlet of thecondenser arm 21 and into an attached collection chamber 24. Thecollection chamber is also jacketed to provide for cooling andmaintaining a constant temperature in the vessel, and the jacketing ispreferably connected to, and a part of, the jacket of the condenser arm.The circulation means and types of coolant are the same as discussedabove. The condensed water is collected in the collection chamber, andthe moisture-free vapor is allowed to pass through an outlet of thecollection chamber 25. The collection chamber is equipped with acapacitance probe 26 to analytically measure the amount of watercollected. Capacitance probes have been used to monitor the level offluid in a vessel since the measured capacitance will change, as achange in the volume of the liquid changes the depth of the probeimmersion; see Process Instruments and Controls Handbook; Considine D.M., Ed. Second Edition, McGraw-Hill: New York, pp 5-39 to 5-43,incorporated by reference. However, the capacitance determinations inthe present invention are not merely for fluid level monitoring, but areanalytical in nature to determine the amount of moisture in a vapor oratmosphere. Capacitance probes are readily available and an example of asuitable probe is the LevelLance capacitance probe available from theRobert Shaw Company. The capacitance probe extends through the interiorof the collection chamber from the upper end of collection chamber to alocation proximate the lower end of the collection chamber. Thecollection chamber is further equipped with a valved drain 34 located atthe lower end of the collection chamber.

The volume within the collection chamber is generally extremely small incomparison with traditional fluid level monitoring capacitanceapplications. The collection chamber and capacitance probe arepreferably sized so that the available volume within the collectionchamber will generally accommodate up to about 20 mL of condensed water.It is preferred that the geometry of the interior of the collectionchamber conform to the geometry of the capacitance probe. For example,the most preferred geometry for the capacitance probe is a cylindricalrod, and the most preferred conforming geometry for the interior of thevessel is a cylinder. The collection chamber is further constructed sothat the available interior volume for the collection of condensed wateris distributed along the length of the probe. For instance, in thepreferred case where the capacitance probe is a cylindrical rod and theinterior of the vessel is a cylinder, the interior of the vessel wouldhave a small diameter so that volume changes in the condensed waterresult in large immersion depth changes of the probe and therefore largecapacitance changes. In other words, the distance between the interiorwalls of the collection chamber and the capacitance probe should beminimized so that the interior vessel volume extends along the length ofthe probe and even small changes in the amount of condensed watercollected will result in a reliable capacitance change as measured bythe probe. Constructing the collection chamber in this manner allows forthe capacitance technique to be employed in an analytical manner todetermine the amount of moisture in a vapor. Furthermore, because thetotal amount of condensed water required for an accurate and reliablemeasurement is small, less overall vapor needs to be sampled. A smallquantity of vapor sampled generally translates into a short time neededto collect the condensed water and take a reading, thereby facilitatingtimely monitoring and control of an application.

As mentioned earlier, an initial or zero reading must be taken using thecapacitance probe before the vapor is sampled and condensed water isadded to the collection chamber. According to the present invention, theinitial or zero reading is accomplished by first adding water to thecollection chamber so that only the lower 5 to 15 percent of thecapacitance probe is immersed in the water. After the adjustment to thewater level, the probe is allowed to settle for from about 5 seconds toabout 90 seconds and then the zero or initial capacitance measurement istaken. The vapor is then sampled, the moisture condensed, and thecondensed water collected in the collection chamber as described above.It is preferred that enough vapor be sampled to result in a relativelylarge change in capacitance readings. It is more preferable that thevapor be sampled until from about 25 to about 95 percent of the lengthof the capacitance probe is immersed in condensed water, and it is mostpreferable that the vapor be sampled until from about 50 to about 75percent of the length of the capacitance probe is immersed in condensedwater. When sufficient vapor has been sampled, the vapor flow is stoppedand a dry air purge is introduced near the inlet of the condenser arm.The purpose of the dry air purge is to force any water droplets that maybe adhering to the walls of the condenser arm down into the collectionchamber. However, the amount of dry air purge should be only enough toflush residual water through the condenser arm and into the collectionchamber. Too much dry air purge could result in evaporation and removalof the condensed water collected in the collection chamber therebyintroducing error. The flowrate of the dry air purge should be lowenough so as not to unduly disturb or flush out the condensed water inthe collection chamber.

After the dry air purge, the capacitance probe is allowed to settle forfrom about 5 to about 90 seconds and a final or sample capacitancereading is taken. The difference between the initial reading and thefinal reading is indicative of the amount of condensed water collected.Such calculations are known in the art; see for example InstrumentEngineers' Handbook, Liptak, B. G. Ed. Revised Edition, Chilton BookCo.: Radnor Penn., pp 190-195, incorporated herein by reference. Usingthe amount of condensed water measured and the amount of vapor sampled,the calculation of the concentration of water that was present in thevapor is readily performed by one skilled in the art and will not bediscussed in detail here. To prepare for the next sampling, thecollection chamber is drained using the valved drain 34 at the lower endof the vessel. Water is then added to the collection chamber to adjustthe level for the zero or initial capacitance measurement as discussedabove.

When the invention is used as part of a control process, the amount ofwater determined to be in the vapor of the zone sampled is compared to apredetermined range of acceptable water concentrations. If the amount ofwater is outside the acceptable range, or is trending in an undesirabledirection, an operating parameter of the process being controlled may beadjusted. For example, it is common to provide moisture to an oxidationor calcination process via a steam stream. The flow of the steam streammay be increased or decreased so that the moisture levels in the zonesof the oxidation or calcination equipment are within acceptable limits.Depending upon the application, the steam feed to each zone may beindependently adjusted, or a single steam feed source may be adjusted tomodify the overall moisture profile.

It is possible that other components in addition to water may condensein the condenser arm and be collected in the collection chamber of thevessel. For example, compounds such as ammonia, sulfuric acid, andnitric acid may be condensed along with the water. If the amount ofcondensed material other than water is small or if the additionalcomponents do not have a measurable effect on the capacitancemeasurements, their effect on the overall invention may be negligible inwhich case no modification of the invention is necessary. If, however, asubstantial amount of additional compounds are condensed or if they havea great effect on the capacitance determinations, it may be necessary tocalibrate the apparatus to account for the additional components. Themixture of condensable components may be used to perform the calibrationand the results of measurements by the invention considered to be theamount of condensable components in the vapor or atmosphere beingsampled in lieu of the amount of water.

The apparatus may be modified to successfully operate in particularlydifficult environments. For example, where particulates are present inthe vapor to be sampled, a filtering means could be placed in a samplingconduit prior to the condensing arm in order to filter out theparticulate matter. Suitable filtering means include quartz wool orglass wool. While the preferred material of construction is stainlesssteel, where corrosive components such as acids or bases are present,the apparatus may be constructed out of resistant materials such asquartz, plastic or glass. The apparatus also may be connected to amicroprocessor and operated automatically with the microprocessorperforming such tasks as operating the valves at timed intervals,recording readings and performing the calculations.

Without intending any limitation on the scope of the present inventionand as merely illustrative, this invention is explained below inspecific terms as applied to a particular embodiment of the invention.First the apparatus of the invention will be described, and then theprocess of the invention will be outlined. Turning now to the FIGURE, acalciner 2 contains three zones, 4, 6, and 8, and each zone is equippedwith a valved, 11, 13, and 15, vapor conduit 10, 12, and 14,respectively. Steam is introduced to the calciner 2 via conduit 9 havingvalve 7. Within the calciner, a catalyst is treated at 1000° C., and themoisture of the atmosphere in the calciner is to be determined andmonitored over the three zones. Conduits 10, 12, and, 14 are connectedto the inlet 16 of condenser arm 20. Condenser arm 20 is jacketed 18 toallow for ethylene glycol coolant to be circulated around condenser arm20. The coolant is maintained at 10° C. and circulated using coolingbath 44 and conduit 22. The inlet 16 of condenser arm 20 is furtherequipped with a dry air purge 46.

A collection chamber 24 is connected to the outlet 21 of condenser arm20. Collection chamber 24 has an interior that is cylindrical in shapeand has a valved 35 drain 34 at the lower end and an outlet 25 at theupper end. Collection chamber 24 is jacketed for cooling with the jacketbeing connected to and a part of jacket 18 of condenser arm 20.Collection chamber 24 is further equipped with a rod-shaped capacitanceprobe 26 that extends through the interior of collection chamber 24 fromthe upper end of the collection chamber to a location proximate thelower end of the collection chamber. Collection chamber 24 andcapacitance probe 26 are sized so that the available volume forcollection of condensed water is 15 mL, i.e. when the collection chamber24 contains about 11 mL of condensed water, capacitance probe will be 75percent immersed in condensed water. Capacitance probe 26 is connectedto microprocessor 30 via electrical connection 28. Outlet 25 ofcollection chamber 24 is connected to vacuum pump 38 via conduit 36having valve 41. Valved vent line 39 having valve 37 allows for readingsto be taken at atmospheric pressure. Vacuum pump 38 is connected to wettest meter 42 via conduit 40. Wet test meter 42 is equipped with ventconduit 48 and electrical communication line 50.

The process of the invention begins with calibrating the equipment.Irregularities in the shape of collection vessel 24, especially neardrain 35 and outlet 21 result in the actual volume increments to be nonlinear with resulting incremental changes in capacitance. Therefore,known incremental volumes of water are added to collection vessel 24 andwith each incremental volume of water, the capacitance is recorded. Acorrelation is developed that relates the capacitance change to theactual increase in the volume of water. Typically, the calibration willbegin at a specific volume of water that is sufficient to submerse thelower-most 15 percent of the capacitance probe 26, and then, asdiscussed below, prior to each moisture analysis that same volume ofwater is added.

After the calibration is complete, any water in collection chamber 24 isdrained from collection chamber 24 using drain 34. Fresh water is thenadded to collection chamber 24 so that the lower-most 15 percent ofcapacitance probe 26 is immersed in fresh water. Capacitance probe 26 isallowed to settle during a fifteen second pause. An “initial”capacitance measurement is taken using capacitance probe 26 and the“initial” capacitance value is recorded via microprocessor 30. A firstvapor sample is then conducted by vacuum suction from zone 4 via openvalve 11 and conduit 10 to inlet 16 of condenser arm 20. Valves 13 and15 would now be closed. As the vapor passes through condenser arm 20,water is condensed. Both the remaining vapor and the condensed water areflowed though the outlet 21 of condenser arm 20 and into collectionchamber 24 where the condensed water is collected. The vapor exitscollection chamber 24 through outlet 25 and is conducted via line 36 toa vacuum pump which provides the vacuum suction needed to sample thevapor in the calciner. Vapor exiting the vacuum pump is conducted vialine 40 to wet test meter 42 where the flowrate of the vapor ismeasured. The elapsed time for the vapor sampling is also measured, andboth the elapsed time and the flowrate are communicated tomicroprocessor 30 via line 50.

The vapor being analyzed is continuously flowed through the condenserarm and collection chamber until about 11 mL of condensed water has beencollected in collection chamber 24; it is preferred to collect fromabout 2 to about 15 mL of condensed water. The vapor flow isdiscontinued, and a dry air purge 46 is begun. Dry air purge 46 forcesdroplets of condensed water adhering to the interior of the condenserarm into the collection chamber. For the configuration and sizing ofthis example, the dry air purge is continued for a period of from about30 seconds to about 1 minute. Care must be taken so that the dry airpurge does not evaporate the collected water. After the dry air purge isdiscontinued, the condensed water and capacitance probe 26 are allowedto settle during a 30 second pause. Valve 41 is closed and valve 19 isopened to allow for the capacitance measurement to be taken atatmospheric pressure. A “final” capacitance measurement is taken usingcapacitance probe 26 and the “final” capacitance value is recorded viamicroprocessor 30. Within microprocessor 30 the initial capacitancevalue is compared to the final capacitance value to calculate the changein capacitance due to the volume of condensed water in the collectionchamber. The change in capacitance is then used along with thecalibration correlation to determine the amount of condensed water thatwas collected from the first zone, and from the amount of watercollected, the amount of water present in the vapor of the first zonesampled is calculated using known mathematical formulas or algorithms.When the invention is used a part of a control process, an operatingparameter of zone 4 or of the calincation process in general may then beadjusted so that the amount of water in the vapor of the first zone iswithin a predetermined tolerance. For example, valve 7 may be adjustedto increase or decrease the amount of steam that is fed through line 9into zone 4.

The process is then repeated to measure the moisture in zone 6 ofcalciner 2. As before, the condensed water from the previous analysis iscompletely drained from collection chamber 24 using drain 34. Freshwater is added so that the lowermost 15 percent of capacitance probe 26is immersed in water. Capacitance probe 26 is allowed to settle during a30 second pause. An “initial” capacitance measurement is taken usingcapacitance probe 26 at atmospheric pressure and the “initial”capacitance value is recorded via microprocessor 30. However, for thisanalysis, the vapor sample is conducted by vacuum suction from zone 6via open valve 13 and conduit 12 to the inlet 16 of condenser arm 20.Valves 11 and 15 are closed. The process continues as discussed above todetermine the moisture concentration in zone 6 of calciner 2. Anoperating parameter of zone 6 or of the calcination process in generalmay then be adjusted so that the amount of water in the vapor of thezone is within a predetermined tolerance. With respect to the Figure,line 9 feeds steam to the whole calciner and therefore valve 7 may beadjusted to increase or decrease the amount of moisture in zone 6.

In this application, the process would be repeated a third time tomeasure the moisture in zone 8 of calciner 2 by sampling the vapor fromzone 8 via open valve 15 and line 14. Valves 11 and 13 would be closed.An operating parameter of zone 8 or of the calcination process ingeneral may then be adjusted (such as valve 7 of steam line 9) so thatthe amount of water in. the vapor of the last zone is within apredetermined tolerance. After the three iterations of the process theresults together would provide an overview of the moisture contentacross the calciner and indicate the particular moisture values in eachof the zones. An overall moisture control may be accomplished byadjusting the operating parameters and monitoring the overview of themoisture content across the three zones of the calciner. It is expectedthat each analysis would be completed in less than fifteen minutes sothat through continuous sequential sampling of the zones one may monitorthe moisture content of the vapor in the zones of the calciner over timeand throughout the calcination operation. It is further contemplatedthat the process and apparatus of the invention could be used in thecontrol of the oven, furnace or calciner by monitoring the amount ofwater in the vapor and adjusting the operating parameters of the ovenfurnace or calciner to maintain the amount of water in the vapor withina predetermined tolerance.

It must be emphasized that the above description is merely illustrativeof a preferred embodiment and is not intended as an undue limitation onthe generally broad scope of the invention. Moreover, while thedescription is narrow in scope, one skilled in the art would understandhow to extrapolate to the broader scope of the invention. For example,applying the invention to different applications, using different probeconfigurations, and different cooling devices can be readilyextrapolated from the foregoing description.

EXAMPLE

A measured amount of dry air and a measured amount of water were heatedto form steam. The amount of water taken up by the air was measured bymanual readings of the volume changes of a burette. The concentration ofwater in the steam was determined by 1) condensing the water into agraduated cylinder and manually reading the volume of condensed waterand 2) using the method and apparatus of the present invention asdescribed above with the exception of the initial or zero capacitancereading step. For the following experiments, the initial or zerocapacitance reading was performed with no water being present in thecollection chamber. In all of the tables below the “burette” columnshows the amount of water dispensed into the flowing dry air to form thesteam, the “graduated cylinder” column shows the amount of watercondensed from the steam and collected and manually read in a graduatedcylinder, and the “present invention” column shows the determination asmade using the present invention with the exception noted above. InTABLE 1 the steam was introduced directly to the condenser arm, while inthe rest of the tables the steam flowed through a complete vaporsampling route. In all cases the burette was set to dispense water at0.7 mL/min, and the vapor was allowed to flow for from 2 to 5 minutes.The calculation of the theoretical amount of water present in the steamis shown as the duration of time the air was flowed multiplied by theflowrate of 0.7 mL/min. The results of the experiments are shown in thefollowing tables. The data demonstrates the repeatability of the processand the apparatus of the present invention.

TABLE 1 3 minute duration × 0.7 mL/min. = 2.1 mL of water in steam TrialNo. Burette Graduated Cylinder Present Invention 1 2.1 2.1 1.84 2 2.22.4 1.85 Mean 2.15 2.25 1.845 Standard Deviation 0.0707 0.2121 0.0070

TABLE 2 3 minute duration × 0.7 mL/min. = 2.1 mL of water in steam TrialNo. Burette Graduated Cylinder Present Invention 1 2.2 2.3 1.77 2 2.22.3 1.77 3 2.2 2.2 1.75 4 2.2 2.3 1.84 5 2.2 2.2 1.76 Mean 2.2 2.261.778 Standard Deviation 0.0 0.0547 0.0356

TABLE 3 3 minute duration × 0.7 mL/min. = 2.1 mL of water in steam TrialNo. Burette Graduated Cylinder Present Invention 1 2.2 2.2 1.77 2 2.22.3 1.77 3 2.2 2.4 1.75 4 2.2 2.2 1.84 5 2.3 2.3 1.76 Mean 2.22 2.281.946 Standard Deviation 0.0447 0.0836 0.0944

TABLE 4 4 minute duration × 0.7 mL/min. = 2.8 mL of water in steam TrialNo. Burette Graduated Cylinder Present Invention 1 3.0 2.7 2.46 2 2.92.8 2.47 3 2.8 3.0 2.70 4 2.9 2.8 2.50 5 2.9 2.8 2.48 Mean 2.9 2.822.522 Standard Deviation 0.0707 0.1095 0.1005

TABLE 5 5 minute duration × 0.7 mL/min. = 2.8 mL of water in steam TrialNo. Burette Graduated Cylinder Present Invention 1 3.7 3.7 3.46 2 3.73.7 3.47 3 3.6 3.6 3.26 4 3.7 3.6 3.20 5 3.7 3.6 3.14 Mean 3.68 3.643.306 Standard Deviation 0.0447 0.0547 0.1512

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for measuring the amount ofcondensable water in a vapor comprising: a) a condenser arm having aninlet and an outlet for the condensation of water in a vapor; b) acollection chamber attached to the outlet of the condenser arm andhaving: i) an upper end and a lower end, ii) an interior volume definedby interior walls, iii) an outlet at the upper end, iv) a drain at thelower end, v) a capacitance probe extending through the interior volumefrom the upper end to a point proximate the lower end without contactingthe interior walls, where said interior volume and capacitance probe aresized so that up to about 20 mL of water may be contained within thecollection chamber; and c) a jacket encasing both the condenser arm andthe collection chamber to define a volume through which coolant ispassed cooling both the condenser arm and the collection chamber.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the geometry of the collection chamberconforms to the geometry of the capacitance probe.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the condenser arm has a cylindrical geometry and ispositioned at an angle of about 5 to about 30 degrees from thehorizontal.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the condenser arm andthe collection chamber are constructed of stainless steel.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the condenser arm and the collectionchamber are constructed of a material selected from the group consistingof quartz, glass, and plastic.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 furthercomprising a filtering means for removing particulates attached to theinlet of the condenser arm.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein themeans for removing particulates is glass wool or quartz wool.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the drain further comprises a valve.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 1 further comprising a microprocessor electronicallyconnected to the capacitance probe.
 10. A process for measuring theamount of condensable water in a vapor comprising: a) calibrating acapacitance probe housed in a collection vessel by adding known amountsof water to the collection vessel at atmospheric pressure, reading thecapacitance of the probe, and developing a correlation between thevolume of water in the collection vessel and the capacitance of theprobe; b) draining the collection vessel housing the capacitance probe;c) introducing liquid water into the collection vessel so as to immersethe lower 5 to 15 percent of the probe; d) pausing for at least fiveseconds and measuring and recording the capacitance, C_(I); e) flowing ameasured amount of vapor to a condenser and passing condensed water intothe collection vessel; f) purging the condenser with dry air for onlysuch time as necessary to flush any droplets of water retained in thecondenser into the collection vessel; g) pausing for at least fiveseconds and measuring and recording the capacitance, C_(F); and h)calculating the amount of condensed water from the difference ofC_(F)−C_(I), using the calibration correlation and determining therefromthe amount of condensable water in the vapor.
 11. The process of claim10 further comprising repeating steps (b) through (h).
 12. The processof claim 10 wherein the vapor is initially at a temperature ranging fromabout 250° C. to about 1000° C.
 13. The process of claim 10 wherein thepurging with dry air in step (f) is for about 30 to about 60 seconds.14. The process of claim 10 further comprising recording the capacitanceand performing the calculations using a microprocessor.
 15. The processof claim 10 further comprising removing particulates from the vaporprior to passing the vapor through the condenser.
 16. The process ofclaim 10 wherein the measured amount of vapor is sufficient to immersethe lower 25 to 95 percent of the probe in condensed water.
 17. Theprocess of claim 10 further comprising condensing other compounds alongwith the water.
 18. The process of claim 10 further comprisingperiodically repeating the steps (b) through (h) to monitor the amountof moisture in the vapor over time.
 19. The process of claim 10 furthercomprising obtaining the vapor from a furnace, oven, or calciner andadjusting an operating parameter of a furnace, oven, or calcinationoperation to maintain the amount of water in the vapor within apredetermined tolerance.